Roasted Butternut Squash And Apple Soup

This is my first dish from my new copy of True Food cookbook.  I typically prepare butternut squash soup with squash and carrots but this unique recipes features sweetness from apples and light richness from cashew milk. The soup was delicious but I made some modifications to the recipe to suit my tastes and have noted them below. Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash And Apple Soup 

12 c butternut squash, peeled seeded and cut into 1" chunks {approximately 1 butternut squash}

5 c Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, seeded and cut into 1" chunks {approximately 4-5 apples}

1 large onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and mashed

2 t expeller-pressed canola oil

salt, to taste

cayenne pepper, to taste

smoked paprika, to taste

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

low sodium vegetable broth {not part of the recipe, but I needed it) 

- and for the cashew milk

3 c raw, unsalted cashews

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Put the squash, apples, onion and garlic in a bowl and toss with olive oil, 1 t salt, 1/2 t cayenne pepper, 1/2 t smoked paprika and 1/2 t fresh ground black pepper. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet and roast until tender and lightly brown, about 45 minutes. Allow the ingredients to cool for about 20 minutes and then transfer them to a food processor or to a large pot if you are using an immersion blender. Puree until smooth and transfer to a pot.

To make the cashew milk, grind the cashews in a blender or food processor to a fine powder, stopping along the way to stir for uniform grinding.Stop before the nuts turn into a paste. Add 2 c room temperature water and blend for 30 seconds on medium speed.  Scrape down any nuts that have stuck to the sides of the container and blend on high for 2 minutes.

Transfer the cashew milk to the pot and whisk until pureed vegetables and milk are incorporated. Add in room temperature water, 1/4 c at a time and up to 1+1/4 c total to get the consistency you prefer,  If the soup is still too thick for your liking, add in vegetable broth as needed as I did.  Reheat and taste to adjust seasonings {I added more of each, minus the salt}.

Makes about 6 servings if no broth is added.

Source:  True Food cookbook, Dr. Weil